The Current has named Kelsey Brannan as its new assistant program director. Brannan’s name is one familiar to The Current, where she served as music assistant from 2014 to 2016. She will fill the role after Lindsay Kimball, who was promoted to MPR’s regional director of membership earlier this year.
“We are incredibly excited to have Kelsey back with us at The Current,” said David Safar, managing director of The Current. “She has a deep understanding of our station’s goals and the radio know-how to help our day-to-day operations thrive.”
As assistant program director, Brannan will work with multiple teams across the organization to coordinate the station’s on-air events, promotions, and special programming. She will also manage the inner workings of The Current’s sound, monitoring programming and the schedule process.
“Kelsey’s familiarity with our local music scene and overall music expertise will make her an invaluable member of our programming team,” said Jim McGuinn, The Current’s program director. “I’m looking forward to working side-by-side with her and seeing what new ideas she will bring to the table.”
A native of Milwaukee, Brannan got her start in radio in her two terms as program director of WSUM, University of Wisconsin-Madison’s student station. While serving as music assistant at The Current, she launched Local Current’s DJ in Residence program and worked on tributes including those for Prince and David Bowie.
Brannan most recently worked at Seattle’s KEXP, serving as producer of the Afternoon Show and project manager. At KEXP, she managed programming including Music Heals (a series of programming dedicated to mental health awareness) and Six Degrees (days of on-the-fly playlist curation based on the work of legendary artists). She holds a B.A. in Communication Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Brannan’s first day at The Current will be December 2.
“I’m thrilled to return to Minnesota and to rejoin such an incredible team at The Current,” said Brannan. “This feels like a homecoming and – despite it happening during the state’s most frigid season – I’m looking forward to a warm reunion with the amazing music community of the Twin Cities.”
